Can You Feel My Heart?
by DarkGuardian221b
Summary: Casper just graduated from Ilvermorny. She's starting her apprenticeship as a wand maker, and she hopes to make her parents proud. Especially since everyone thought she would have followed a different profession. She's a pukwudgie after all. Her life seems bright and hopeful, but someone comes into the shop who changes her life forever.
1. Wand Maker

"Do you have everything you need packed?" My mom asked me curiously after she sat a plate of food in front of me. "Yes, mom. I have everything I need." I replied with a small smile. I took a sip of my coffee before I dug into the delicious breakfast she made for me. "Today is your first day of your apprenticeship. I wanna let you know that I'm proud of you, Casper. You're the most unique daughter anyone could have, and I mean that in a good way." My dad said with a smile on his face. "Thanks, dad. It really means a lot to me that you support me, even though the career I chose didn't follow the family tradition." I replied with the same small smile on my face. "Tradition isn't everything. Sometimes it's quite boring to be honest." My mom said, which made my smile grow. When I went to Ilvermorny, I wasn't surprised that I was placed into pukwudgie. Almost my entire family had been sorted into that house, but there was a few outliers. My six times great grandfather was placed into Thunderbird and my ten times great grandmother was placed into Horned Serpent. My parents always figured I'd become a Mediwitch, mostly because that's what they became after they graduated Ilvermorny. I admit that I developed a strong love for potions, herbology, alchemy, etc; all the essentials to make a great Mediwitch, but I was also fascinated with defense against the dark arts. Everything and everything dark is probably my most guilty pleasure, and I never made any efforts to hide it. That's mostly the reason why I don't have many friends. Everyone thought I was some seed of evil waiting to sprout and bloom. After I finished eating breakfast, I brushed my teeth and grabbed my bag. "Have a nice day, sweetie." My mom said as she gave me a hug. "Yeah, have a nice day." My dad said before he gave me a hug as well. "I will. You two have a good day as well." I replied before I headed out of the front door. Osiris's wand shop wasn't far from where I lived, so I just walked. There wasn't any point in apparating to my destination, especially since it's such a beautiful day. The sky was blue and a cool breeze blew that cut through the late June heat. As I walked down the street a few passers by said good morning to me, and I said good morning to them in return. Everything just felt really bright and optimistic, which made me happy. All I could do was wonder what Mr. Osiris would be teaching me today. 'Probably just some organization stuff and some basics.' I said inside of my head. After a few more minutes of walking, I reached the wand shop and opened the dark green door. The bell that was over the door rang to let the shop keeper know that he or she had a customer. I shut the door behind me and took in my surroundings. The room was lit by golden sunlight that was filtering through the windows. A fruit wood desk was sitting just a few feet from the front door. Behind the desk were rows and rows of shelves filled with wands. I've always loved wand shops, even if I only been in one once; that was the day I got my very first wand. I involuntary reached into my pocket and loosely gripped the handle of my wand; a six and half inch elder wood with a unicorn hair core. "Ah. good morning, Miss. Marshall. Follow me to the back office and we'll get started." Mr. Osiris said with a kind smile on his aged face. His jade green eyes sparkled in the golden sunlight, and his graying hair still had faint touches of auburn. I followed him to the back office where he sat down behind a desk. The smell of freshly carved wood was pungent; it mingled with the smell of old books and ink. The first thing he did was a refresher, which was a good start. I hadn't forgotten anything from what I learned in school, but it's always good to refresh your memory. Once that was done he showed me how to make a wand hands on. He didn't let me make a wand just yet, but I didn't mind. I wasn't ready to make a wand anyways. I just sat there watching him and took notes in my notebook. "Just let the wand take on its own form. Let it tell you how it wants to look." He said in a whisper sort of voice, and I was mystified by his work. It was the first time I ever seen a wand made right in front of me. The whole mystery of wand making is what really got me interested in it in the first place. By the time the wand was finished, it was lunch time. "I'll see you back here in an hour." He said as I walked towards the front door. "Have a nice lunch break." I said with a smile. "You too." He said before I walked out into the street. I packed my lunch, but I wanted to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather. When I reached the park, I sat down underneath a large maple tree and opened my lunch box. I unwrapped a sandwich I had made and unscrewed the bottle of water I brought with me. After I finished eating I reached into my bag and pulled out the current book I was reading. I read a couple of chapters before I checked my watch and gathered my things. I didn't wanna be late back to work on my first day. Mr. Osiris had me dust the shelves and sweep the floors before he told me to shelve some new wands. "Alright, Casper. I think that's all for today." He said, and I checked my watch. To my surprise is was already five o'clock in the afternoon. "Wow. Time really does fly when you're having fun." I said as I climbed down the ladder. "Well, I'm very pleased to know that you're enjoying this so far. But it won't always be like this; the shop gets pretty busy during the last half of August." He said as I gathered my things. "That's fine. I'm just excited to learn from a well seasoned wand maker." I replied with a smile. "Thanks for your flattery. Now go on and get out of here." He said with a smile as he patted me on the back. "Have lovely evening, Mr. Osiris." I said with a smile. "Have a lovely evening yourself!" He said as I walked through the front door. It was a nice end to a peaceful, yet interesting day. When I got home my parents asked me billions of questions about my apprenticeship. I answered them the best I could, because I knew I wasn't allowed to tell them all of the secrets to wand making. Even I don't know everything, hence the apprenticeship. "I'm so glad that you like it." My dad said with a smile. "So am I, especially during the slow season." My mom agreed. After we ate I washed the dishes, via magic, and headed upstairs to my room. I took a bath and changed into my pajamas before I looked over my notes and listened to some music. After a while I decided to go to bed since I had to get up early in the morning.


	2. Notes and Carving

After breakfast I headed to the wand shop once again, and I wondered what I'd be doing today. As soon as I walked through the door I headed towards the back office, and Mr. Osiris greeted me happily. "Good morning, Casper. I hope you're in the mood to take notes." He said with a kind smile on his face. "Always, Mr. Osiris." I replied with a slight laugh, and he laughed a little as well. He fired up an old projector while I pulled my notebook out of my bag. School turned me into an expert note taker, at least I think it did. At least I was able to read my own writing and understand what I had written down. Most students didn't even take notes, and then they usually panic when exams come around, but not this girl! I sat there in the small desk in the office and wrote down practically everything that was on the screen mixed with the things he just said. By the time lunch came around we were halfway finished with the slides he was showing me. Most people's hands would have been cramping, but I've gotten use to this sort of thing. Drawing actually helps prevent your hands from cramping when you have to write for long periods of time. That's one perk of being an artist; that's something else I'm I'm interested in, especially when it comes to combining magic into my drawings. Mr. Osiris and I said our brief goodbyes for lunch, and I went back to that maple tree in the park. 'I hope I'm able to make Mr. Osiris proud.' I thought inside of my head as I opened the book I was reading. After reading two chapters I felt as if someone was watching me. I marked my place and looked around to see if I could catch anyone watching me, but no one was in sight. It was like everyone decided to stay inside for the day, which is a shame. The sky was overcast, but the weather was amazing. 'They probably stayed inside due to the chance of thunderstorms that are rolling in later today.' I thought inside of my head as I turned my attention back to my book. Even though I was thoroughly focused on the words in front of me, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I was being watched. 'It could be someone wearing an invisibility cloak.' I thought, but it didn't ease my mind. Anyone venturing around underneath the cover of an invisibility cloak is up to no good. I decided to cut my lunch break a little short and head back to the wand shop. I packed everything up, but I kept my apple out of my lunchbox; I ate it on the way back. Mr. Osiris wasn't back yet, so I just sat down at my desk and read my book while I waited on him. At least now I didn't feel like anyone was watching me. "You got back before me this time." Mr. Osiris said, and it made me jump a little. "Yeah." I replied with a slight laugh as I marked my place in my book. "What's that you're reading?" He asked me curiously as he took his hat off and ran a hand through his graying hair. "Oh, it's a no-maj book. It's called Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children. It's pretty good, you should read it sometime." I replied with a small smile. "Hmm. I think I will." He replied sincerely, which made me happy. It's a great feeling when you get someone to read on of your favorite books. We continued with the note taking, which almost took up the entire time. "Alright, now that that's finished. I want you to carve a wand, but without a core. We don't need you carving a wand with a core and have you get blown up." He said as he handed me a thick stick of wood. I knew that all kinds of horrible things can happen if you cut too deep and hit the core of a wand. Getting blown up is probably the less serious fates that can happen to you. I remember reading it in The Dangers of Wand Making by Amelia Warwickshire. "Do you want me to start carving it tonight?" I asked him curiously. "Sure, if you'd like. Tomorrow is going to be filled with more note taking anyway. And remember... let the wand speak to you. It'll tell you what it wants even without a core." He replied. We said our goodbyes and I made my way back home. He said he had to let me leave early today, because he some things he needed to tend to. I didn't ask questions, mostly because it was none of my business. My parents weren't home, which didn't surprise me. They work all kinds of hours at St. Barnabas's Hospital for Magical Maladies. I walked up to my room to drop my stuff off and then walked downstairs to start making dinner. Instead of using magic, I decided to cook the manual way. I've always found that doing certain things without magic is sometimes relaxing. It also makes me feel grateful that I'm gifted with the powers I have, especially since no-majes have to do everything the hard way. By the time dinner was finished my parents came walking through the front door. "Hey, sweetie. How was work today?" My mom asked me curiously as she came into the room and gave me a hug. "It was good. How was your day at work?" I replied. "Tiring, but worth every second." She replied with a deep sigh. They got changed before they joined me at the dinner table, and we talked about our day. Apparently a couple of teenagers came into the hospital in a rough state; they were splinched from doing underage apparation. Then they talked about a couple of patients who succumbed to their injuries, which made me sad. I told them about all of the note taking I had done today, which was probably unbelievably boring to them. "I'm glad I'm not doing what you're doing. It sounds way too much like school to me." My dad joked slightly. "No, it's actually really interesting. I don't mind the note taking, and Mr. Osiris is an excellent teacher." I replied. "We're just use to more exciting things happening during our days at work, that's all. I didn't mean anything by it." My dad said with a guilty expression on his face. "Oh, no. I didn't think you were bashing my choice of career, I just wanted you to see my side of things." I replied with a slight smile. After we ate I cleaned up and then went up to my room to start carving a wand. I made sure to grabbed the small waste basket in my room, so the wood shavings wouldn't fall into the floor. "Alright... what do you wanna be?" I asked out loud as I picked up the piece of wood Mr. Osiris had given me. I opened the wand making kit my parents got me for my birthday last year, and took out the knife. It was silver in color with the pukwudgie crest engraved on it. My mind suddenly went blank as I began to carve into the wood. 'So this is what it feels like when you let the wand take over.' I thought vaguely as I continued carving. There was something very peaceful and relaxing about it, and I couldn't wait to start doing this with a core in the wand. I lost all track of time, and I ended up getting ready for bed way later than I intended to. But I figured wand makers worked all hours of the day, and I was ready for that. I was ready to officially become a wand maker, but I knew I had a long ways to go before that happened. Once I made sure my room was clean and all of the wood shavings were in the trash, I washed up and put my pajamas on. 'I hope Mr. Osiris likes the wand I made.' I thought inside of my head as I fell into a deep sleep. The sky was a dark gray and the leaves on the trees were painted in autumn colors. A cool breeze blew and couple of crows squawked in the distance. There was a flash of blue and green before a strange symbol triangle symbol on a brick wall appeared. I jolted awake with my heart pounding in my chest. My alarm was blaring beside of my bed, and I sleepily reached to shut it off. I had no idea what my dream meant, but it really got my heart and my head pounding. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and slowly walked into the bathroom to take a couple of aspirin. 'Today is gonna be a long day.' I thought inside of my head as I got ready to go to work.


	3. A Day of Chaos

~ Time Jump - A Month Later ~

Instead of going to the park like I usually do, I decided to stay at the wand shop. It wasn't like I really had a choice; it was pouring down the rain. The beginning of July is always rainy, no matter what. 'So much for independence day this weekend.' I thought inside of my head. I lifted my sandwich halfway up to my mouth, when Mr. Osiris burst through the front door. I paused with my mouth hung open, and I'm sure I looked like an idiot. His hair was all over his head, and I wonder if the strong winds had blown his hat away. "What happened?" I asked curiously, once I noticed the panic in his jade green eyes. "My granddaughter! She... she got into an accident!! They're taking her to St. Barnabas right now, I have to meet them there." He said as he ran around the shop gathering the things he needed. His shoes squeaked from the water that remained on them. If the scene in front of me were happening under different circumstances, I'm sure it would have looked comical. I stood up, because I couldn't sit down with the rush of adrenalin that was running through my veins. All that was flowing through my body was worry and curiosity. "Is there anything I can do? Do you need me to come with you?" I asked him curiously as I sat my sandwich down. I had no idea what had happened to his granddaughter, but I had the instinctual urge to help. I guess it's just something that runs in my family. "No, someone has to stay here and look after the shop." He said as he walked past the desk and towards the front door. "But, what if a customer comes in?" I asked curiously, a hint of panic rising in the bottom of my stomach. "I have full confidence in you, Casper!" He said before he stepped outside into the raging storm. The door closed with a loud clatter, and I was suddenly aware of how alone I was. Even though the wind and rain were lashing the buildings outside, it seemed pretty quiet after all of the chaos I just witnessed. The soft ticks of a clock filled the void as I walked into the back office and heated up the kettle for a cup of tea. I needed something to relax my nerves. I walked back to the front desk and sat down before taking a sip of my tea, which helped me a little. 'I might as well look over my notes.' I thought inside of my head. After searching for something that might help me of someone comes in looking for a wand, I closed my notebook empty handed. 'Well, I guess I'll just have to try my best.' I said inside of my head as I took a sip of my tea. A couple minutes passed by, and I decided to read my book as I waited. There was no point in staring at the walls. I finished reading the last chapter in the book when the door to the shop burst open with a loud bang. It made me jump, and I ended up dropping my book on the floor. I grimaced at my timid reaction, before I looked up to see who interrupted my not so normal day with more insanity. The door was wide open, and some of the rain was blowing into and on the shop floor. A man was standing just inside of the doorway, and he was soaked to the bone. His blond, almost white hair was so wet he looked like a drowned puppy. Then I noticed the red patch on his clothes. 'He's bleeding. What happened to him?' I said inside of my head as a flash of lightning illuminated the street in a blue light. A rumble of thunder followed. He turned his head towards me, and I was amazed that he had different colored eyes. One was a whitish blue and the other a dark brown. "I need your help." He said in a strained voice. He staggered and almost fell; he had to hold onto the door to keep himself from hitting the floor. I stood up and hurried over to him. "Put your arm around me. We need to get to the back room, so I can fix you up properly." I said, and he did as I told him. Once he put his arm around me, I shut the door and we slowly made our way to the back room. I eased him down into Mr. Osiris's office chair and walked over to his medical supply cabinet. I was relived that he had the basics, it would tied this stranger over until he could make it to St. Barnabas. 'It seems like everyone is getting hurt today.' I thought inside of my head as I walked back over to where I left him. He was breathing heavily and his pupils were huge. I sat the potions, bandages, and ointments down on the desk before I stripped him of his soggy cloak, vest, and shirt. Blood was trickling heavily out of a wound just below his left peck. I pulled my wand out of my pocket and began chanting a simple healing spell, non verbally of course. When we were taught how to cast spells with just using our minds, I started doing it non stop. To me it seemed better than shouting and waving your wand about like some deranged lunatic. I furrowed my brows when the wound only healed partially, and that's when I realized this wasn't a regular wound. Whoever he got into a fight with knew some dark magic. Lucky for him, I'm obsessed with dark things. I've literally read every book on dark magic I could get my hands on. "How did you know how to heal that?" He asked with furrowed brows and curiosity in his eyes. "I know lots of thinks I probably shouldn't Mr?" I said the last part in a questioning tone. "Grindelwald... Gellert Grindelwald." He replied as I applied ointment to the delicate skin that grew over the wound. "I'm Casper. Casper Marshall. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Grindelwald, but I think you would have preferred meeting me under different circumstances." I said with a light laugh, and a small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Different circumstances indeed." He replied. When I was finished applying the ointment, I bandaged him up and handed him a healing potion. I could feel his eyes on me while I put the supplies away, but I acted as if I didn't. "I'm glad I just so happened to stumble into the only wand shop that's home to a skilled healer with knowledge of the dark arts. Tell me... how is that possible?" He said as I shut the medical supply cabinet door, and looked over at him. "Luck I guess." I replied as I walked towards him and collected the empty potion vial. "Perhaps... or maybe it's fate." He said with an oddly attractive smirk on his face. "Maybe." I replied, wondering exactly what he meant by that. With a flick of my wand I dried his clothes and handed him his shirt, vest, and cloak back. "Thank you for you help Miss. Marshall. I'll remember your kindness." He said after he was dressed. He disappeared with a loud crack as he apparated out of the shop. I sort of wondered where he went and if I'd ever get to see him again. Something sort of told me I'd see him again. I cleaned up and moped up the water that Mr. Grindelwald left behind. As I walked over to the front desk I picked up the book I dropped and dusted it off before putting it back into my bag. The rest of the day was pretty quiet, and I was glad that the rain had stopped by quitting time. I locked up the shop before walking back home. Dark gray clouds parted, and the bright blue sky reflected off of the cobblestone street. A cool breeze blew and a smile spread across my face. Instead of going home right away, I decided to take a little walk in the park. It was far too beautiful to stay inside now. The gray clouds glowed as golden rays of sunlight broke through them and turned the raindrops into diamonds. After a long while of admiring the beauty around me, I finally headed home. Like always, my parents asked how my day was. "That's horrible. I hope Mr. Osiris's granddaughter gets better." My mom said, and my dad agreed. I decided to leave out Mr. Grindelwald's visit to the wand shop. A part of my wanted to tell them to show that I had some healing skills myself, but I had a feeling that they didn't need to know. I had a feeling that I'd be running the shop on my own for a little while. I just hoped Mr. Osiris didn't mind if I continued my studying while he was away.


End file.
